Newly Proposed Changes to Protect Women and Children at Home

Big changes have been proposed by the Andrews Government as part of the current Royal Commission into Family Violence in Victoria; changes supported by lawyer Glenn Duker.

As part of a 63 page report submitted into the Royal Commission, they have floated the idea of introducing a family violence offence that specifically protects the women and children of a family. Currently family violence does not fall under the Crimes Act in Victoria as a specific crime; it is merely considered under the general assaults and injuries category, but there are calls to consider it a crime unto itself. The government has also suggested creating a dangerous partners register on which violent offenders in domestic situations would be added.

ACTU calls for 10 days additional paid leave for family violence victims

The government’s proposals follow recommendations put forward recently by ACTU that domestic violence victims receive an additional 10 days of paid annual leave, a proposal backed by current Australian of the Year and renowned anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty. Addressing the audience at the recent ACTU national congress, she told of the stress that she endured trying to juggle work with court appearances, making statements to police and other necessary matters. Batty told stories of women she’d spoken to who felt pressured to resign after taking extra time off work to deal with the trauma they’d endured and how an additional 10 allocated annual leave days could be the difference between keeping and leaving a job.

The proposed changes described above could potentially have wide implications in the family and employment law fields respectively. When domestic situations turn sour, a specialist in Family Law like solicitor Glenn Duker can provide you with the essential legal advice that you need. Get in touch with our offices today to see what we can do for you.